Meron Girma and Belayneh Jejaw's Fellowship & Time in addis ababa

SCOPE Fellows, Meron Girma (UW) and Belayneh Jejaw (University of Gondar-UoG), in collaboration with UW and UoG colleagues, are advancing a pilot mental health training program for Ethiopian Orthodox priests in Gondar. Their work includes developing the training plan and evaluation tools, reviewing previous research to identify gaps, refining the study protocol and coordinating with the UoG Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health to finalize training content and identify local facilitators. They are also preparing an Institutional Review Board (IRB) application for a larger implementation and evaluation study, with the pilot intended to lay the groundwork for a sustainable, community-centered mental health intervention.

Both fellows shared what the SCOPE fellowship has meant for them. Meron said, “It's been exciting to collaborate closely with our partners here in Ethiopia, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to work that has the potential for meaningful and lasting community impact”

Belayneh, shared that the fellowship has been both professionally and personally rewarding, deepening his understanding of how research can translate into meaningful community change. Reflecting on a dissemination workshop in Gondar, he described seeing how community engagement through the LAUNCH project helped influence vaccination practices as “highly motivating,” demonstrating the real-world impact of research. Also, “the fellowship has strengthened my skills in stakeholder engagement, multidisciplinary collaboration, and research development” and inspires him to explore stronger connections between Ethiopian holy water sites and the health system to better support people experiencing mental health concerns. 

As Belayneh explains, the experience has helped him see research “not only as generating evidence, but also as a pathway for connecting communities, faith institutions, and the health system to create meaningful and sustainable health improvements.”